Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases Grammar Lessons Continued Lecture Notes

Prepositions A preposition is a word that expresses a relationship between some words in a sentence, usually in regard to time (when) or space (where). Prepositions act similarly to an adverb (an adverb modifies verbs, adjectives and other adverbs) –they answer the questions where?, when?, how? and to what extent? about the words they modify Common Prepositions About, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, as, as before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between , beyond, but, by, concerning, despite, down, during, except, for, from, in, into, like, near, next, of, off, on, onto, out, outside, over, past, since, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath, unlike, until, under, up, upon, with, within, without

Prepositional Phrases In order for a word to be considered a preposition, it must be part of a prepositional phrase – a prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun. The noun or pronoun at the end is called the object of the preposition. Examples: Across the street Across = Preposition Street = Object of the Preposition Across the street = Prepositional Phrase Over the top Beyond her comprehension Around the corner

Prepositional Phrases A preposition must always be a part of a prepositional phrase and must be the first word in the phrase. If it does not begin the phrase, it is an adverb. For example: underneath I lifted the log carefully, looked underneath, and saw a centipede. – Adverb or Prepositional Phrase? Sally found her mother’s slippers underneath the bed. – Adverb or Prepositional Phrase?